Set Free
by Syzeria
Summary: Tifa is taken by the Lifestream, leaving Cloud with one last chance to set things right. But how can he when Tifa is gone?
1. Preface

_Standard disclaimers apply.

* * *

_

:**Set Free**:  
By Syzeria

**Preface**

_"They say giving false hope is misleading. But what is truly false about hope?"_

Tifa thought she knew a lot about Cloud Strife. There were only the rare times he wasn't himself, when Tifa thought she was standing by a stranger. As in, his journey portraying his dead best friend, and while he had contracted Geostigma. Tifa had wanted to believe she did know him then, _still,_ during those moments of their lives. Now, Tifa just hoped she had been right about him all along.

She had this yearning since last week for little reason. Nothing unusual had occurred lately, Cloud hadn't been acting strange. She just suddenly felt insecure, doubtful of all she had ever known, and light headed. Naturally, she told no one and kept to herself. Tifa wanted to be sure she _really_ knew him. Only ... how could she find out?

She thought you'd have to come in contact with _it _to react. With a lot, too. So it caught her off guard, but Tifa thought perhaps the Planet was doing her a favor, making her auburn eyes shine impossibly and sucking some life out of her body. It scared her when her world flashed green, but she almost felt free as she fell onto the cold floor of her home.

Almost free.


	2. Chapter I

:**Set Free**:  
By Syzeria

_"Love unspoken by innocence, love unknown by fear."_

Cloud couldn't believe his life was rolling by as he sat in a white hall, in a gray building, in a world he didn't want to care about. The slick white tiles beneath Cloud's shoes were as still as his mind. He couldn't _believe_ what had happened. He didn't know it could have happened.

He wasn't even sure _what_ had happened.

Everything was becoming normal again, everything seemed all right then. But the future had to turn his life's path upside down. The future-now-gone had to clutch Tifa's entity with long and cold, strong and pale fingers without a single trace of feeling. And the future expected Cloud to follow it down the impossible path it was creating, obedient as a puppy.

The doctors didn't even know what was happening, Cloud vaguely heard them say so. The doctors' eyes were laced with common sorrow when they showed their eternally solemn faces to him and spoke earth-stilling words he almost didn't catch.

"... Mako poisoning ..."

Cloud felt his shoulders roll in sickness, his stomach churn from a painful recollection. His mind thumped enormously. _How could that be ...? _

His lips quivered as they parted to speak. "Let me save her," Cloud said tonelessly, unintentionally to the two doctors in front of him.

"Sorry?" The tone of a male doctor made Cloud's throat go dry in distaste.

"I want to save her."

"I'm sorry, but how–"

"Please understand, sir," a woman began this time, "it's not possi–"

Cloud stood up, though he didn't feel it. He knew Tifa's heart and soul was depreciating with every second to the Lifestream. She wouldn't be able to fight it, he knew it.

The doctors followed him in suspicion, but it didn't matter to Cloud. With the Lifestream involved, it was hard for any fiber of his body to contradict, to run, or to think of a why to the reason and the way this happened. Cloud nearly didn't feel his pace quicken.

The floor's surface changed beneath his shoes to an even slate. He walked by a bed. Her bed.

Her heart monitor was mimicking her slow heartbeat and Tifa was shivering silently. Her face held no expression, no fear. Cloud felt pride in knowing someone so strong, even unconscious. She was so cold, it expanded and engulfed the entire room with dry, frozen air. It was amazing she was still alive. But how much longer could she fight it?

With blind force, Cloud pulled the second bed closer to hers and sat down on it. Hands itching for_ some_ physical contact, he laid his hand on her wrist and felt her shaking movements crawl up his arm and bring sensation back to him.

Cloud exhaled harshly as a thought skipped across his mind. He didn't know what had to be done or what_ could _be done. He barely knew what had happened to her.

He had gone for the day, making deliveries, when he suddenly got a call from Denzel, who said Tifa was in the hospital. They weren't sure how it happened either. He remembered Denzel's voice quivered as he said Tifa's eyes started to glow before she collapsed ... Cloud's heart shook in his chest when he heard.

So, what could he do?

_Join her...?_

No. Don't be stupid.

_Find her?_

Maybe ...

Cloud inhaled and squeezed her wrist as he closed his eyes, thinking hard to the moment he last entered the Lifestream with Tifa. Suddenly, he lost the sense of the white room he was in. Life was seeping out of him ... but it was not far away. Cloud opened his eyes a fraction, and lifted his lids wide when he saw where he was.

His world was wound in darkness, but the impeccable sparks and glowing threads of slivering life illuminated everything, even the slim silhouette of a woman dressed in black clothes. The woman sniffed curiously and it echoed in the air which didn't blow, but simply seemed to flow with the winding, bright currents of light.

Cloud could already feel the glowing threads seeping into his consciousness and inspecting every ounce of memory in his mind. He became fearful, this had happened before and for far too long.

But she managed to bring his conscience back together as she turned around, her auburn eyes glowing at an intensity that matched the never-ending flow of life around them. He stared at her, a few dozen feet away.

"Oh ..." she said dreamily, "Cloud ..."

"Tifa...?" Cloud was awestruck by her eyes. The way they shined was inconceivable, but it felt familiar.

"So this is it ..." Her melodic voice rung in his head. "I'm dead, but I can barely remember how, or why ... I just remember seeing green. Strange ..."

Cloud couldn't speak. Her voice was vulnerable, but still free and leisurely. His stomach took an unpredictable dip. The world around him seemed to spin to the slowest beat of a metronome.

"You're not dead, though ..." Tifa turned away and stared fancifully after a thousand parting and forging threads of insight.

"But it's alright," she continued whimsically. "This place is so beautiful." Her words were fine metal wires puncturing his veins, injecting poison, sorrow, grief and ... and growing freedom.

Cloud shook his head. Where was the _freedom_ in all this?

"Tifa, come back," Cloud beckoned softly. His throat ached and his heart made an effort to drive away the mysterious freedom that brought nothing but confusion.

She swung around, her eyes sparking with sudden life. "What?" she sang.

"You're not dead," Cloud nearly pleaded.

"No ... I think I am," she contradicted softly, the dreaminess in her voice returning and bending her words from sacrifice to something ... like acceptance. "I hoped I could finish something before I died, but ... maybe it's too late. I sort of wish I could have known it was coming ..."

This was all wrong.

He outstretched his hand and stepped forward, but she already turned around and was walking away. She almost wasn't moving, the green flow twirled and curved faster than she walked. Cloud followed her, but his steps meant nothing. He got nowhere as his feet desperately lifted from the dark ground he couldn't see, and she only drifted further.

Why did he feel he couldn't let her go? He thought back to the explosion over a year ago that was meant to claim a life, though not his. So much time had passed since then ...

Hold on.

Maybe her time wasn't up yet. How could they be separated now, after all this time? Maybe the mako, which none of them foresaw, was a mistake. Cloud's heart soared at the thought of this _all_ being a mistake.

He ran after her, but it made no difference. His throat felt constricted with a fear trapped deep within the twisted parts of him. "Tifa!" he called out. He sprinted after her and his heart raced when he noticed she wasn't so far away anymore. He took her hand from behind her and she froze. Suddenly, flashes of memories flowed through Cloud's fingers and into her. All the feeling ...

_Nibelheim ... the well ... Nibelheim, flames ... flowers ... green ... black, pain ... death, loss, hope .._._ joy and belonging_. It was all there, through that one touch. Silence spread them apart for a long moment, until she turned to face him and a smile softened and tickled her features in a way he had never seen before. Her smile was sad in a way he had never seen. Like she had stolen the real heart of someone, and suddenly realized what she should have done was give hers instead. Like she had done something wrong, and realized it was far too late to fix it.

It was so new ... it was strangely beautiful. A foreign emotion surged through him and his shoulders crawled and his knees felt a little weak. His strained heart began pumping and pumping. What was this feeling?

Tifa sighed in tranquility and her relieving breath unwound the knot Cloud's throat had become. "Tifa, come back," he managed to say.

Her smile weakened in sudden, deeper sadness and her glowing, dark auburn eyes grew tender. "I can't, Cloud. I'm dead."

"No–"

His world shot upward, he was soaring up past the glowing threads and into a world of white.

Why did he suddenly feel as though there wasn't enough green in the world? The glows had gone, a floor had returned ... Her smile had vanished.

"You're not!" Cloud gasped in a hoarse and low voice, sitting up. There was a drowning noise, a ... a beep ... it was worse than her slow heart beat he heard moments ago.

The continuous noise expanded in his ears. Cloud prayed it would _cut_ at one point for the shortest second before returning ... but it just kept resonating endlessly.

He hoped with every shred of strength in him that said noise was mimicking his heart and no one else's, but he couldn't stop his head, his eyes. He swerved his head with a slight shudder and saw her body on the bed opposite his. She was so pale and no longer shaking. Cloud's shoulders sagged and his neck went weak. He reached out to her feebly, unable to believe what his eyes were playing before him, but calloused hands held him back before he could reach her, pressing him back down onto the bed. "Please, sir," an educated voice pleaded.

The beep still hadn't taken a breath. 

_Bee..._

Cloud's eyes were becoming sore from widening too long and his lips were dry.

_Eee..._

A curtain suddenly shut Tifa away, and Cloud felt hollow.

"Sir," the doctor's voice echoed faintly, "we're very sorry." Cloud stared at the man and he saw the doctor flinch, but Cloud did not bother to soften his gaze. "Th-there was nothing we could do ..."

Cloud's entire entity froze but shook from the inside. _This ... this wasn't happening ..._

_Eee..._

"What happened?" the curiosity surrounding the doctor set a spark inside Cloud's stunned chest. But the spark was not strong enough to strike any emotion other than unaltered disbelief.

_Eee.._

"The patient's heart rate rose and she _smiled_ before she suddenly stopped. Then you woke up, and ... sir?"

"Her name's Tifa," Cloud said wearily, silent emotions filling his eyes as he continued to wish the unfinished _Eee_ away. His ears caught no other sound and Cloud fell limp onto the mattress. His eyes scanned the ceiling meaninglessly for a long moment until the doctor left, disgruntled for a reason Cloud didn't want to care about. He closed his eyes and his heart burned through his back, the bed, the floor, and simply continued to drop. Cloud refused to pull the curtains open in fear of losing the frail connection which still remained between him and his heart if he saw what lay motionless behind it.

Tifa was right. She was ... dead, and she ... she was ... She was _right_. Cloud nearly didn't register the returning footsteps, but his whole body felt her heart monitor cut off.

Silence encircled the room and left permanent marks against the wall.

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Edited on Halloween of 2009 – thank you, momcalling, for the inspiration of revising this.

SZ


	3. Chapter II

It's been way too long, but I suppose the spike in the number of romances I've seen resulted in the inspiration to continue this. I'm actually really excited to finish it. I said (a long time ago) that I just needed to write an epilogue, but then again, the romances have taught me that there should always be some form of a happy ending. So I wrote another chapter.

I hope you enjoy! I won't blame you if you don't remember anything about this story, just read it again. It's only a chapter and a half for you to understand everything!

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**:Set Free:**  
Chapter Three  
By Syzeria

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tifa's carefree smile was fading as she began to unwillingly allow sorrow to seep into her. She suddenly felt alone and, for the first time in a long while, with little hope.

Her mind relaxed but she pulled back to consciousness. She remembered imagining Cloud here with her moments ago, telling her to come back with her. She re-created the second he reached out to her desperately, and it felt as though his whole life rolled like a film inside her when they touched. Her cheeks flushed at the thought of what she saw. _[A.N: Since there are so many opinions about Cloud and Tifa together and what they thought of each other throughout their lives, I want to leave that part up to your imaginations and beliefs. Just stick with 'cloti.']_

_He didn't really come though ... _She truly was alone, and her shoulders shook in fear of the thought.

Tifa was getting restless as invisible walls were closing in on her. Suddenly panting, she wanted with all her heart and memories to watch over Marlene, Denzel and all her friends. She wanted to watch over Cloud, never to blink and miss a moment. If she could find Aerith and Zack in this consuming space, they could show her how.

The unseen walls were coming closer, and the Lifestream shifted in unison. **_Separated ... lost ..._** she heard many voices whisper.

Was the Lifestream speaking to her? The voices tickled her ears and coiled around her chest. She was astonished that the Lifestream was being attached to _her_––someone insignificant in the matters of life.

_What do you want? _She asked wordlessly, cautiously. Tifa looked around but saw nothing other that threads of ethereal green and darkness. The glowing tides no longer offered her comfort as the whispers continued.

**_Two souls ... Two hearts ...  
_**

She circled around twice, searching for some sense of reality; a constant in this infinite swirl.

**_One safe, one grieving ..._**

**_Separated at last ... The final obstacle, they cannot overcome ..._**

A gasp escaped her lips and she slowly wrapped her arms around her. Her shoulders began to shake and she pleaded to the Lifestream to stop its tormenting. The threads swirled as one, but the Lifestream would not cease.

**_Both alone, blocked by the divided worlds of life and death. They cannot escape ..._**

"No ... please stop," she gasped. She fully realized how deeply she was enveloped in this place. It had complete control, but she was not ready for it. The walls edged nearer.

**_Silver hair will return with vengeance and must be stopped. Your friend must grow and conquer on his own ... It is meant to be ... Do you remember, child? He left you with us only moments ago ..._**

"He was really here?" Hope laced her words but her shock and frustration took over. "He won't ... you can't make him do it all alone!" Her voice quivered and she suddenly felt small, and she _was_. Her body mimicked her emotions: a small blue dress swayed gently against her knees and her small arms surrounded her flat chest and shaking shoulders. Now she really felt like a child, but her mind could not give in. "He won't be able to win without help," her frail voice sounded a couple registers above normal. "Don't you know that?" Her head turned in all directions, resisting against the entire Lifestream.

**_We see a future ... where solitude shines brightest._**

"B-but that's not the only way!" The wisdom in her words did not suit her voice, and she wanted to scream at something because the Lifestream was not being reasonable. "Why did you have to take me away from him? It wasn't even my time ... It was so sudden––"

**_Death never suits our desires. If friendship blossomed into love, death of either would have destroyed more than those you know._**

"You don't understand ... I just saw _everything_. It's like talking to a wall," she growled. "Didn't you see? When he came ..." Tifa was shocked Cloud had somehow managed to come find her in the Lifestream, but she pressed on. "I saw more than memories, I saw answers. Cloud, he ... he really cares." The little girl's hair began to recede from the ends, and she jumped and felt her hair shortening as if invisible scissors trimmed the ends patiently.

**_It is too late ... You will not change the course of his life, when yours has ended ... _**Tifa had a suspicious feeling the Lifestream would smirk if it could. Her eyes narrowed, her child-eyes burning.

Something rubbed against her arms but there was nothing there any living soul could see. On all sides of her, the walls had finally reached her. She screamed and pushed against the air closing in on her.

"NO––you can't do this! Aerith, help! The Lifestream's gone insane!" She tried to pound hidden walls as her frame shrunk. The tips of her hairs hung at the base of her neck. Tifa began to cry and child's squeal escaped her. _This isn't happening ... how can they ... why––_

She hardly got angry, but the Planet was completely wrong this time. Tifa stomped her feet and shouted like an upset toddler. "LISTEN TO ME!"

The walls stopped shifting and slowly retreated, and Tifa took in a short breath of relief.

"You ..." she waved a stubby finger and began to chastise uncharacteristically. "How could you have killed me? Killed one of the only people left that Cloud would fight until the end for––something I think I can really believe now. You would have claimed Marlene and Denzel too by your logic––and _all_ of our friends, not just Zack and Aerith!"

The Lifestream was silent, and Tifa believed even the distant murmurs of other wandering souls had stopped. The green streams seemed to have slowed its movements.

"I cannot believe the only scrap of pure wisdom in the universe would play with lives this way, even to save the world. It feels like a game, but I will not play my twisted part in it anymore. Let me go back, right now!" She stomped her small foot and stubbed her toe against invisible floors, but she shrugged it off.

Things remained silent until faraway laughter reached Tifa's delicate ears. The laughing grew louder, and it sounded like children laughing with ethereal joy. She whirled around in search of someone, but the laughs consumed her conscious.

"... What is going on?" Tifa murmured slowly. The laughing then ceased, but the wise whispers returned.

**_It is settled then. _**Tifa tilted her head in confusion.

**_Will you act as a nest to the man's courage? Will you protect him? Will you love him?_**

Tifa left her tiny mouth hanging, and the spirit that soon flowed out of it did not match her stature. "You have got to be shitting me." She growled, the noise youthful. "What to think I've been doing most of my life?"

Laughter responded gently.

"You think this is a game?" Tifa unwillingly worked up a tiny grin. This sick game was cruel, but it seemed there was a point to it.

**_Not a game, but a cruel push forward. Cloud Strife is a strong soul, but mind has not yet matched heart in the race. As for you, your heart has now spoken its desires to your full consciousness. _**Tifa's shoulders sagged, suddenly exhausted from the unwanted adrenaline rush. Her heart was yet unsure of what the Lifestream was anticipating with this heartless charade.

**_Life cannot wait for a man to grow up and live himself. History tells that life fights best with something worth fighting for. Danger will always grow strong and you must be prepared. _**

There was an unusual pause, as if the world had fallen asleep for a moment. Then the Lifestream shifted warningly and voices rejoiced.

**_But remember our plea: death of one can bring the death to all._**

Tifa sighed thoughtfully, her mind relaxing as she listened to the caressing murmurs around her. "I understand ... You know, I think we really are prepared now. I won't know though ... unless I can experience it myself." Tifa yawned and her vision blurred.

**_No need to rush anything ..._**

Tifa closed her eyes and, agreeing with the Lifestream, wished to sleep a while––

She thought she heard a piercing beep explode in her ears and it repeated at a rapid pace, until she opened her eyes she turned to shut that damn alarm clock off. Tifa's hand bumped against unforeseen horizontal bars instead and it throbbed. Rubbing her limb, Tifa twitched her nose from under a sheet covering her entire body. She groggily lifted it aside and was bewildered by the surrounding white. She stared at the machine next to her bed and found the machine was, in fact, shut off.

Where did the annoying beep come from?

Tifa shrugged as the sound of footsteps approached. Someone pulled the enveloping hospital curtains aside, revealing a man in white and more snow-painted walls. Was she in an asylum?

The man looked stonewashed and could barely speak. "I––are you––how?––You were dead, less than fifteen minutes ago, and ..."

Tifa's throat was dry and she smiled weakly. "Wh-where is the man ... blond hair ..."

The doctor's eyes widened. "H-he's outside, I believe. He can't see you yet, though, we have to run some tests––"

Heart pounding, Tifa could suddenly sit up and she raised a pale hand. She stared at it hard for a split second. "No, it's fine, I'll go see him myself."

"I can't let you do that, miss. You should just take it easy while I go get help."

Tifa shook her head, suddenly exhilarated at the feeling of breathing fresh air. She looked down and found herself wearing her normal clothing with her _normal_ frame. She beamed and swung her legs over the mattress, easily dodging the doctor as she stood up on the opposite side of the bed. Her legs wobbled but she managed to break into a shaky run, the doctor standing there uselessly.

"Cloud doesn't like doctors, so it's better if I go see him myself," she waved the man off nonchalantly, turned left, and broke into a run when a brunette nurse with a wheelchair approached from down the hall.

"Miss, please!" The nurse called, but Tifa wasn't listening. She ran down the long halls, her pace quickening and her heart soaring. Her eyes looked around two corners in search of blond spikes and cerulean eyes she couldn't wait to see again. By the time Tifa began to pant, she had lost the nurse.

She began to hear somber, incoherent voices around the corner and she nearly tripped. Tifa stopped herself from calling his name and slowed down, suddenly remembering the Lifestream's somewhat trivial wisdom.

_No need to rush anything ..._ The Lifestream was right that time. Tifa took a deep breath and tried to stop her knees from buckling.

"Everything will be fine," Tifa breathed, laughing every so slightly_. _"No need to freak anybody out." Cloud was still a young boy sometimes. In the face of mortal danger they would stand strong for their innocent pride, but when the opposite gender comes into play ... many would resort to running.


	4. Chapter III

A.N: It's one in the morning and I'm so tired, but I was compelled to finish this. You should feel compelled to review, to return the favor! :)  
I hope you enjoy it.

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**: Set Free :**  
**Chapter III **  
By Syzeria

Tifa's breath was shaky and unsteady as she walked around the corner and into the waiting room. Her auburn eyes scanned the space for a single familiarity ... but she couldn't find him. Tifa's eyes were worried and a flicker of fear coursed through her. _Where is he? __Did he leave?_

"Tifa?"

She whirled around with wide eyes, praying it was not one of the doctors who had finally caught up with her during her race through the hospital. When her eyes rested on the person that had called her, Tifa's breath stopped abruptly at the sight of the large man with a gun arm.

"Is that really you?" Barret gasped hoarsely.

Tears welled in Tifa's eyes and she couldn't help but break into a smile, even though she had hoped for someone else to have been there. "Barret ..."

The large man approached the woman in a rush and his arms swept her up into a fierce hug. "I thought you were dead, Teef!" He nearly shouted angrily. "What the hell d'you think you're doin', scarin' everyone like that?"

"I_ was _dead, Barret, but I came back," Tifa said with a relieved laugh. It sounded crazy, and she almost didn't have the patience to explain. "The Lifestream brought me back."

Barret set Tifa down and raised a thick brow. "OK, you're soundin' a whole lot like Cloud. I ain't gonna ask what happened. Speak o' the devil, where's the Spike?"

Tifa's smile faded and she shook her head. "I have no idea. I was looking for him."

"I came all this way 'cause Marlene called me 'bout you, but I guess the world revolves 'round Spiky again, don't it?"

Tifa laughed gently as she walked up to reception, but Barret held onto her shoulder and shook his head with a crooked grin. "Forget about 'em. We gotta find Spiky." Feigning invisibility, the pair of heroes sneaked out of the hospital, Tifa slightly worried about Cloud and how "invisible" she really was next to Barret.

**XxXxXxXxX**

Her truck grumbled sluggishly and Tifa winced at the groan of the vehicle's interior when Barret ducked into the truck. She had been surprised when she saw her truck in the hospital parking lot. She must have come in an ambulance. Barret must have kept the spare keys to the truck the entire time.

"Where d'you think he is right now?"

Tifa shrugged, fighting back drowsiness. "Let's try the bar, and then ... the church?"

Barret nodded sternly and wheeled onto the main road, slowing the truck down so the masses of people could walk around them. He rolled his eyes at the slow pacing of the––

"Lazy asses don't see a million cars waitin' for 'em."

Slowly, they reached the bar and Tifa opened the door. She wished Cloud was there to meet her but she wasn't disappointed to see Marlene and Denzel swerving on two bar stools.

"Marlene! Denzel!" Tifa called to them in relief. When they had spun halfway to see her, Tifa saw their expressions change from sullen to shocked.

"TIFA!" They shouted at once. The two children ran up to Tifa, and Denzel hugged her waist while Marlene took to clutching both of Tifa's legs. "You're alive!"

Marlene's tear-stricken face was smiling brightly and Tifa could see traces of water around Denzel's blue eyes. Tifa bent and kissed both their heads, and each child hugged her tighter. They remained that way for a long and drawn out moment, each of them glowing with many emotions.

"What happened, Tifa?" Denzel asked quietly as Marlene let go of Tifa to be swept up by Barret at the door. Marlene turned around to listen, and Barret was attentive as well.

"I - uh - had a deep ... conversation ... with the Lifestream, and it decided to bring me back."

"So it took you away and then brought you back?" Marlene wailed incredulously atop Barret's shoulder. Tifa nodded lightly, and then shook her head at the thought of the Lifestream's scheme.

"That was the plan," Tifa sighed, before she frowned. "Where's Cloud?"

Both Marlene and Denzel swallowed, and Marlene's eyes turned soft and glossy. "Cloud left a while ago. He told us to stay in the house until he came back ..."

Tifa looked to Barret, who returned her worried gaze. Tifa swallowed hard and patted Denzel on the shoulder. "Would you two like to help us find him?"

The two children nodded earnestly and they closed the bar door behind them. They all gathered in the truck and set out for the most obvious place in Midgar to find Cloud.

**XxXxXxXxX**

When they arrived at the church, everyone sprinted toward the large oak doors. Barret swung the door violently open and the children winced at the sound of the impact the door made with the church wall. Barret's face was as hard as stone, and Tifa's was simply anxious.

The smell of rainwater and flowers filled the senses, but Tifa's eyes were let down. Cloud was not amidst the lingering rubble of the church.

Barret punched the wall with his fist and growled. "What the f––" he stopped himself and looked down at the children. "Who does this guy think he is?"

Tifa shook her head, shoulders sagging with wavering hope. "I'm not sure where he is now ..."

"Hey, Tifa!" Denzel called from outside the church. They walked out and followed the direction the boy pointed to. "Fenrir left tracks! He went that way!"

"Smart!" Barret boomed. Surely enough, tires had swept dust off the ground and had scraped the dirt floor. "We gon' catch his spiky ass!"

They headed back to the truck and followed the trail. It didn't lead very far, but well out of the city.

When they reached the outskirts, the tire tracks became more faint from the bellowing of the wind. The trail ended at the base of an ascending cliff with only one narrow passage upward. The children groaned once they realized the climb they would have to make, because the truck could not climb the cliff the way a motorcycle could.

Tifa felt her thighs tightening when they had reached the top, where more rocky mounds adorned the larger mound of rock. There was no trail left to follow, but Tifa felt a presence around the edges of the cliff. The sound of a blade digging into the earth tore through the wind of the outskirts and it drew Tifa towards it. She broke into a sprint and the others followed after her. Tifa whipped past Fenrir and she knew he was here. She rounded a tall boulder when her feet skidded to a sudden stop at the sight of Cloud standing at the edge of the cliff. Tifa was slightly surprised that Cloud had not heard them approaching, even though his back was turned. His broadsword had impaled the earth and was leaning at an angle.

"Cloud," she called and that, at least, was loud enough for Cloud to hear. He turned to face her in a flash, and his heavy eyes suddenly narrowed intensely. Tifa, ignorant of his shock, smiled and stepped forward.

"I found you," she said in relief, but Tifa faltered in her step when Cloud withdrew.

"No ... Don't," he ordered, his husky voice hoarse. She saw the fear in his eyes and she couldn't understand what was wrong with him.

"Cloud, it's me," Tifa insisted cautiously. "What's wrong?" Her eyes pinched with hurt but Cloud ripped his sword from the ground, a ringing reaching their ears as the blade scraped against the coarse dirt.

"Stay back," he gasped with his sword directed at her, the edge of the blade ten feet away. Hollowness was drawn thickly in the contours of red-rimmed his eyes and Tifa felt herself breaking.

"Cloud! It's me, it's Tifa. Please ..." Her voice died as she looked down at Marlene and Denzel, who were walking towards Cloud. Marlene held her hands up with slight caution and Denzel went for Cloud's raised arm. The boy tried to loosen the man's grip on the sword, but it would not slacken.

"It's really Tifa, Cloud," Marlene insisted with a slightly shrill tone. The would-be ex-SOLDIER looked down at the child and could not understand. Muscles still tense, he lowered his sword.

"You ... can see her too?" Marlene and Denzel both nodded and Cloud's cerulean eyes gaped. He turned to Tifa and she held back tears. She searched his face and frowned at the disbelief and melancholy in his expression. He looked more vulnerable than ever and she only wanted it to go away.

"I'm real," she breathed with a hesitant step forward. Cloud remained rooted at the edge of the cliff, looking no closer to relax or say something. Tifa, suddenly feeling cold and alone, ran up to Cloud and collided with his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck and Cloud slowly returned her embrace. He suddenly held onto her tightly, as if afraid she would vanish again. They held onto each other and the only noise around them was the brisk wind and both of their ragged breaths. Tifa wanted to never let go, but she could feel confusion rising in him and waiting to come out. When they parted, Cloud's gloved hands held onto her shoulder and her hands rested on his chest. The nipping wind seemed to have calmed, and Cloud's breath was faintly warm against her face.

"... How?" His voice was coarse and he swallowed, afraid of what he might hear.

Tifa tried to smile but it came out lazy. "I was gone, but the Lifestream brought me back." Cloud didn't say anything and Tifa decided to fill the void. "The Lifestream was the one who took me ... but it did it for a reason."

Cloud tilted his head and his curiosity brought a deeper smile to Tifa's face. The childish fear in his eyes had not fully disappeared but curiosity was filling the pools of blue. His deep eyes bore into hers and Tifa felt a tinge of anxiety in what might happen next.

_You have to try ... Just take it slow._

"When you came for me ... when you touched my hand ... I saw so many of your memories."

"But that was years ago ..." His voice was husky and Tifa shook her head.

"No, I mean today. You ... you came, right?"

Cloud nodded his head slowly and frowned. "I thought I was too late ..."

Tifa leaned closer and her right hand cupped his cheek. "No, you were right on time," she insisted earnestly. "If you hadn't come, the Lifestream would have taken me away forever. Your memories that I saw today gave me a reason to come back."

Cloud looked away and back, unsure of what Tifa meant. She wasn't entirely sure either, but she knew where she wanted to go with this.

"... How come you never told me?" Tifa asked nervously. Did she really want to repeat all his memories for him to simply drown in again? She blinked a few times, thinking, and remembered one memory that stood out to her.

"When you were blown off the Shinra building––then you came back to us in the church ... I didn't know Aerith and Zack were there with us. Why didn't you say anything?"

Cloud held his breath as he thought, his eyes never leaving Tifa's, and he released the oxygen with an air of certainty. "They gave me the feeling that they didn't want to be seen. They just wanted to make sure that everything was going to be all right after that. Why do you ask?"

Tifa shrugged and looked away, slightly embarrassed. "I was just wondering." _What a stupid thing to bring up at a time like this,_ she chided herself. She felt as though it would be better to leave the memories for another time.

Things went quiet for a moment. Barret was tapping his foot impatiently, resorting to looking out into to the distance while he waited for something interesting to happen. Denzel was quietly inspecting the sword while Marlene was staring at the silent two in front of her, waiting for Cloud to say something. _Doesn't he have something to say to her? Tifa came back to life!_

Marlene's ears perked when she finally heard Cloud clear his throat.

"Tifa ... When I thought you were dead ... I was scared. Then I tried to find you ... and when I saw you in the Lifestream, I finally understood that you were the last person I ever wanted to see there. You were completely lost and something in me woke up when you told me you were dead."

Tifa tilted her head, frail tears forming at the bottom of her eyes. She felt Cloud pull her closer and she was too focused to consider their unfamiliar proximity.

"I'm not sure what happened after. I woke up and you had flatlined ... and I thought it was the end. I took Marlene and Denzel home but I couldn't stay with them. I couldn't go anywhere you had been before ... I couldn't handle it." Cloud put a hand to her cheek and rubbed his thumb against the tender skin. Tifa's eyes were scanning his every feature intensely and she was picking up on subtle differences in his eyes. His voice was barely above a whisper, and he was so close to her.

"And now you're here, and you're _alive_. I didn't believe it was you––" Tifa shook her head with a sad smile, "but now I'm ... I'm glad you're all right."

Tifa's smile widened and her lips were pressed into a thin line to prevent its trembling. Cloud looked down at her lips and stared at them for a hard moment, as if he was weighing an idea.

Tifa's eyes widened with shock as Cloud gently brushed his lips against hers. It lasted less than a second, but electricity shot down her spine and something deep within her had finally awoken from a long slumber.

Her eyes remained stricken and she could see withdrawal coming over his face. Suddenly aware of how shocked she must be looking right now, she tried to relax her eyes ... but she couldn't. She opted to smile instead, but she hardly felt anything change in her features and Cloud certainly could not tell the difference.

Desperate to keep him with her, she rose to her toes and pressed her lips to his with vigor so shocking that Cloud teetered backward. He wrapped his hands around her waist to steady himself and, when he was able to process the moment, he leaned in deeper. Both of them did nothing but live the moment until Cloud withdrew. Tifa's head was buzzing with utter bliss and her smile grew naturally this time. Cloud's cheeks were tinged with red, as were Tifa's. Her eyes wavered away from his gaze for a moment and she grinned.

Something behind Cloud was moving around exuberantly. She tilted her head to see past him and stared at Marlene and Denzel silently cheering, wiggling and dancing around Cloud's abandoned sword in excitement. Tifa looked up at him to see his reaction, but his eyes glowered intently at something behind her.

Bewildered, Tifa tried to turn around, but Cloud pulled her closer so that her face was half-buried in his chest. Tifa laughed breathlessly and she struggled playfully out of his tight embrace and managed to turn her head.

Cloud was glaring at Barret in the middle of the cliff, who was mouthing profanities, laughing, and gesturing tactlessly with his entire body. She felt herself blush but she tried to glare him down. Barret was at least smart enough to stop at that. "C'mon," Barret bellowed to the still-dancing children amidst his laughter, "let's give these two some room."

Denzel and Marlene obeyed the large man, and they each hugged Cloud and Tifa before walking down the cliff. When their heads had disappeared behind a boulder, Tifa faced Cloud again. She was unsure of what to say, but she remembered that she didn't have to say as much when she was around him.

Cloud, however, felt some need to speak. He opened his mouth carefully, closed it, and repeated the cycle. Unable to hold it in, she ducked her head and laughed breathlessly. "I'm sorry ... for dying," Tifa muttered sheepishly, raising her head to his.

"Just promise me you won't again. Not while I'm around." Cloud's tone was flat and serious, and it was his own strange way of showing he cared.

She nodded her head and smiled cheekily. "I'll do my best."

Cloud then took her hand and stared hard at it, noticing it was cold to the touch. He lead her towards his motorcycle and, hands intertwined, they climbed onto Fenrir and drove down the uneven slope. She gripped his waist tightly, but not because she was afraid. If anything, she never felt so free.

She leaned against him, feeling surreal, and waved to Barret and the children, with butterflies in her stomach and a genuine smile on her face. Barret clambered into the truck in a rush and called to the children to get in. They raced after the motorcycle, dusty clouds flying after them, but Cloud and Tifa were far ahead, speeding away towards the city.

Tifa gazed at the sky and all around her as her hair blew with the wind. She imagined the Lifestream, its glowing fibers floating around, knowing its plan had worked. She imagined Aerith and all her friends, when a sudden thought occurred to her:_ How would they tell the others without too much of a reaction? _Tifa winced at the thought of what could happen.

Everyone had known the truth about Cloud and Tifa for a long time coming, except them: the Dense One and the Friendaholic. Yuffie and Cid had mentioned it many times, and she was convinced that Vincent secretly believed the same. She just never got around to believing it. She smiled ridiculously and relished the feeling of the wind in her hair and the strange but welcomed emotions swelling inside her. Tifa was unsure of what would happen next and how things would change, but she knew what she truly meant to her world and Cloud.


End file.
